


Baby, Baby

by Glitchedwings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crack Pairing, Crack Relationships, Crack Treated Seriously, Episode: s09e06 Heaven Can't Wait, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other, and since it's all canon I'm not gonna tag for it, canon adjacent, i think crack treated seriously is a perfect tag lmao, there's technically mcd but its not permanent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 22:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15982139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glitchedwings/pseuds/Glitchedwings
Summary: Trench was used to sitting on lots of objects, sitting in lots of cars. Baby was used to accommodating articles of clothing (mostly of the flannel variety), and many different items. Of course, Trench was not yet used to being dragged along on celestial plots, and Baby was not yet used to that happening in her backseat. Still, weirdness was the one constant in their daily lives, so the day the trench coat and car met was like any other.By now they’ve met several times over the years, caught in the crossfires of their two owners' friendship and pining. But when Trench is forced to spend months in Baby's trunk, will they finally watch their owners find love? And can they make something of their own?A mostly canon-adjacent fic following Dean and Cas through the eyes of Baby— and the eyes of Trench, her partner in crime.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a labor of love and has therefore squeezed every creative impulse from me... This silly fic is one I need to recover from. 
> 
> Thanks to [Sophie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zwetschge14/), Triss, [Hartless](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NadiaHart/), JJ, and more for betaing, timelining, or general helping. Original idea credit has to go to [ricketyjukeboxer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ricketyjukeboxer/), and all the crazies over on the discord without whom I never would have written this.  
> Thanks also to my amazing artist akobel! Check out their post [here](https://akobel.tumblr.com/post/180575792481/i-am-so-incredibly-late-in-posting-this-but)!!! Give em some love.  
> This was written for the Trenchstiel Mini Bang.

#### NOW

###### BOOTBACK, KS; JULY 2012

  
Slam!  
  
Baby rocks as Dean shuts her trunk violently. She's still a bit sore from being flipped a few weeks ago, but she takes it. He walks along her side and slides into the front seat, taking a second of silence as everyone else piles in. Then he rolls her engine over and drives her the hell away from the reservoir.  
  
Trench shifts in her trunk where they had been tossed by Dean. Wet and dirty, they look as beaten down as Baby has ever seen them.  
  
It’s been a few months since they’ve seen each other, a few months since their argument, and Baby isn’t sure what Trench will start with to break the silence.  
  
_Was that necessary of him?_ Trench asks, less a sarcastic aside and more of a reproach towards Dean’s rough treatment. Okay, Baby guesses they’re just going to ignore it, then, in favor of more pressing matters. Isn’t that their life.  
  
She sighs. **_He’s done worse. And he always fixes me, so I don’t mind— it’s not like it hurts. I'm made tough. If it helps him then I’m glad for it._**  
  
Trench seems to deflate, or maybe that’s just the water making them soggy and heavy. It’s quiet, and Baby assumes Trench won’t speak again, until they do.  
  
_I wish I could do something_ , they say quietly. _This is the first time I’ve been without Castiel in a very long time. And I don’t think…_  
  
**_What?_**   Baby prompts, when the silence stretches too long.  
  
_I’m afraid that he won’t come back_ , Trench admits. _What will happen then? To me?_  
  
**_Well, he’s always come back before_** , Baby tries to rumble comfortingly, even though she’s still mad, she reminds herself, still mad. **_I’ll take care of ya until he does._**  
  
_Thank you, Baby. That’s a kind sentiment._ But Trench does not sound very convinced.

####  _THEN_

######  _APRIL 2009_

  
_“I need some help. I’m praying, okay? Come on. Please.”_  
  
_Cas, and Trench, heard and flew to him._  
  
_“Prayer is a sign of faith. This is a good thing, Dean.”_  
  
_“So does that mean you’ll help me?”_  
  
_“What you’re asking, it’s… not within my power to do.”_  
  
_“Screw you.”_  
  
_Trench watched Castiel’s convictions waver, felt his posture soften slightly._  
  
_“Dean. Dean.”_  
  
_“What?!”_  
  
_“You must understand why I can’t intercede. Prophets are very special. They’re protected. If anything threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat.”_  
  
_“So if a prophet was in the same room as a demon…”_  
  
_“Then the most fearsome wrath of heaven would rain down on that demon. Just so you understand… why I can't help.”_  
  
_“Thanks, Cas.”_  
  
_“Good luck.”_  
  
_And off they flew to the next place they were needed._

#### THEN

###### PONTIAC, IL; MAY 2009

  
Their first meeting had been anticlimactic.  
  
Her engine buzzing with talk of angels and demons and vessels, Baby had hardly noticed when yet another man slid into her backseat, carrying a rumpled jacket. It was only when the coat spoke that Baby bothered to pay any attention.  
  
_Hello. You seem different than other cars_ , was their patronizing opening line.  
  
**Be polite** , Baby sighed to herself. Like any other day, it had been a long one. **_Yep, I'm an Object too. Though I can't say I've ever met a coat. Who do you belong to?_**  
  
_I am Trench, of the Angel Castiel... formerly of the human Jimmy Novak_ , the coat said.  
  
The car rumbled. **_I'm Baby. Dean Winchester's, loud and proud._**  
  
_Ah, Winchesters. I am not surprised, I’ve heard much about them_ , Trench said through drapery, offhandedly.  
  
_**And I've heard a lot about these dickish angels. You seem particularly cut out to be worn by one**_ , Baby growled.  
  
Trench, in a pile on the man's lap, seemed to smooth out.  
  
_Jimmy chose me, and Castiel chose Jimmy, so rest assured that I am well-suited. As for the rest of it, you should show Castiel some respect_ , the coat said crisply.  
  
Baby scoffed. **_And why would I do that? From what I've heard he just throws my boys into problem after problem without a care for their wellbeing, and then disappears when it gets rough._**  
  
Trench sat still but for a slight twiddle of their collar. _I don't know where Castiel is right now, but I do know that he does not see your boys as expendable._  
  
Behind the meaning of the words, the tone in which Trench said ‘your boys’ was so cold.  
  
**_I don’t see how he’s not just one of the other angels who doesn’t seem to give a damn. So I’m not sure why we’re fixing to help him._**  
  
The coat twisted. _Oh, I see. You have not been privy to the same conversations between Dean and Castiel that I have. The angel has already done more than he should to assist your ‘Dean’. The boy is starting to believe in him._  
  
That tone again… Baby pushed down her indignation and reflected on the words. She was taken aback but tried not to break her stride on the road. She had heard talks of angels and seals and had pieced together the barest bones of the threat her boys faced. Only now did she realize how much she truly missed in their lives, and how many gaps would maybe never be filled.  
  
_**I’m doubtful**_ , she replied.  
  
There was that conversation about her Dean in Hell and the first mention of angels; there were those quiet talks between the brothers, but they always ended in wordlessness. This had always been her life, knowing only small snippets of the case before her boys came back to clean their wounds and rest, and then it was no longer relevant. But with such enormous stakes and so much going on, she feared she might never know the full story. If at some point her boys never made it back to her— she shook off the thought. They always had.  
  
But here was this coat, always at the center of the action, it seemed.  
  
She looked out at the dark road, remembering a murmured conversation Dean had held with himself last week as Sam had slept cradled in her passenger seat. The words had been too soft to hear over her mechanisms, but it had seemed almost reverent. What she wouldn’t give to know exactly what Trench knew…  
  
So, swallowing her pride, she doubled down, confessing: **_I’m doubtful, so convince me._**  
  
But the man was already leaving the car.

#### NOW

###### JULY 2012

 _So, I’m assuming you’re still mad at me._ It comes out of the blue, but it’s not unexpected. It’s been hanging over them for weeks.

**_Is this you apologizing?_ **

_It’s just a question._

**_Then yea_** , Baby says, hard. **_I’m still mad._**

**_Why?_ **

Now that does catch her off-guard. **Why? Isn’t it obvious?**

_**You know very well why.** _

_Really?_ Trench continues. Anyone else would think this is a calm line of questioning, but Baby can see the hint of belligerence. _I’m not allowed to have other friends?_

Baby’s cornered. **_Of course you are but… him? Friends?_ **

Now that she thinks about it, she can’t really justify her response. It just feels wrong, but not for any reason, per se. Tall, dark, handsome, and annoying.

_Like I said, he’s not the same as his owner. You’ve never even talked to him._

Oh god. Is she _jealous_? Of Ove of all Objects?

_**I know enough about him to be hurt.** _

_It's not like I could replace you._

Baby sighs. Leave it to Trench to get right to the heart of the argument. She has to concede that point. **_Thanks, T._**

#### THEN

###### PONTIAC, IL; MAY 2009

  
Baby hadn’t expected the man and coat to be back, but for the next few days they were in and out of her seats, with a woman and girl as well at times. Slowly, she heard the coat out.  
  
She hadn’t been sure what to expect from her first angel. Well, honestly, she had never really expected there to be one in her seats. Why would they ever use car travel? But Anna, though subdued, had fit into her idea of how an angel might act. Quiet, sitting up tall, observing everything.  
  
It was how she thought one might act, that is, until her and Dean’s fling in the backseat! Baby had been privy to many a night where she had to divert her attention to give the people in her interior some privacy, but that one left her reeling.  
  
Add to that experience the name dropping she had heard, the trials certain angels had put her boys through, and she wasn’t sure how to picture the Host. But so far, no angel had seemed like good news, and her protective instinct towards the boys did not incline her to give them the benefit of the doubt.  
  
Still, as she listened to Trench, she couldn’t help but be a little swayed by what Castiel had supposedly said and done, and what Dean had supposedly said and done, and overall the fervent way the coat talked about his angel. There had to be some truth there, and something to trust. So, when she heard the laundry list of moments from the past months; when she heard that Castiel had become too close to Dean according to his superiors; when she heard that Dean—her stubborn, disbelieving Dean—had prayed to this angel, well, she was inclined to shuck some of that disbelief.  
  
Not all of it, of course. She took after Dean and his father before him, and didn’t trust easily. But by the end of the last ride, when Dean signaled to her gears to slow and stop outside a warehouse, Baby was entranced by the stories and grateful to the coat for providing them.  
  
And by the time Jimmy slid out of her door the final time, clutching Trench, she found herself looking forward to the next time that piece of clothing was in her seats. She had so many more questions.

#### NOW

###### JULY 2012

In all honestly, Baby wasn’t sure that Dean would leave Trench in her trunk for more than one car ride back to the bunker. Why would he?  
  
But their luck holds— the boys open and close her trunk, getting weapons and stowing them, and still Trench remains. Well, Baby and Trench’s luck holds if only because Dean and Sam have their hands full and overflowing with various monsters, but it’s something.  
  
**No, not luck** , Baby chastises herself. She’s mad, she reminds herself, and she only wants Trench here to get an apology. But she doesn’t hear one, so she’s still mad.  
  
That gives them both lots of time to stew in silence and work up the courage to address the elephant in the car. And it gives Baby time to reflect on their past.


	2. Chapter 2

 

####  _THEN_

######  _PONTIAC, IL; MAY 2009_

  
_“St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?”_

_“Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story.”_

_“Yeah, well…” Castiel looked at Dean. “We're making it up as we go.”_

 

#### THEN

###### GREELEY, PA; AUGUST 2009

  
She didn’t fully expect to see Trench again.  
  
Every time someone new leaned against her, she looked for Trench, but they were never there. She was desperate for information— why did Bobby have to drive her by the boys? What had happened in that interim? What about Lilith? But in typical fashion, her boys didn’t talk about it in more than a couple-two-three vague conversations. Then they mentioned Castiel going up against an archangel— Baby gulped air through her intake valve. Well, that was probably it for Trench too, then.  
  
It was too bad; she’d had a taste of Dean and Sam’s life outside her walls, and it was addicting. But no matter. She would go back to how she had lived for the past few decades: making mental leaps with the information she had, but most importantly being a warm seat for her boys to sit on.  
  
Later, through these conversations, she learned that Castiel was miraculously back, but she didn’t let herself have any hope. Just because it was the angel, didn’t mean he would be wearing the same coat. Objects didn’t get miracles, only Beings did.  
  
So when a Trench-clad person casually slipped into the passenger seat, Baby was more than surprised. She could feel the confidence from the coat, and knew that this was Castiel without a doubt, not Jimmy.  
  
As before, Trench was the first to speak.  
  
_Hello, it’s good to see you again._  
  
**_You too, I guess_** , Baby responded, keeping her cards close to her undercarriage. **_What’s this I hear about you dying?_**  
  
_Oh, so you have your information, too. And here I thought that you were never up-to-date._ The flick of their lapel… Did Trench gain a sense of humor when they were resurrected? Were they teasing her? Baby’s temperature gauge ticked up, flustered.  
  
**_I, uh, yes, of course. The Winchesters ride with me, after all_** , she shot back. **_What I can’t figure out is why you would come back with Castiel. And how Castiel even came back in the first place._**  
  
_Well, I cannot satisfactorily answer that second question; Castiel believes it was God, but we are of course not certain. As for why I’m back..._ Trench hugged closer to Cas’ body. _I can’t say either. But think of it this way: Dean always builds you back up, does he not? From total destruction?_  
  
**_Yeah, ‘course. I’m a part of him._**  
  
Trench nodded, as much as a fabric could nod. _So, there is your answer._  
  
**_Hmm._** Baby looked out at the vegetation as she sped past it.  
  
**_So what do you think of this Raphael plan?_**  
  
_I, for one, am in favor of revenge for our death. And of finding God, of course_ , Trench replied simply.  
  
Baby couldn’t help but laugh at their straightforward way. **_You tell ‘em, Trench._**  
  
_Tell who?_  
  
Baby snorted, exhaust bubbling. **_Never mind._**

She was quiet for a moment, observing the weights in her front seat, then— **_Is it just me or are Dean and Cas much more comfortable together than they should be?_** The difference in interaction between Castiel and Jimmy was startling.

Trench considered. _No, this is how they are normally. At least, since Castiel rebelled_.  
  
**_Since what? I need to hear all the details, my boys don’t talk nearly enough for my liking._**  
  
Trench’s buttons glinted knowingly. _Certainly. It is shaping up to be the greatest story ever told, you know. I enjoy recounting it._

  
\---

  
Well, then.  
  
Baby pulled up at the police station before Trench had even made a dent in the latest news, from the celestial to the mundane details that Baby appreciated. Each time Castiel reentered the car and Baby moved forward on the path to Raphael, Trench chipped away: Cas’ brainwashing; Dean and Cas, throwing out the rules and ripping up Chuck’s ending; the way Dean looked with the angel’s hand over his mouth; Castiel, using a cellphone; Jimmy and his love for his daughter; Dean handing over the amulet even after being dressed down by Cas; Castiel carving protection into the boys’ ribs.  
  
The more Trench talked, the more Baby opened up in response, recounting the boys’ split and their long conversations, interjecting information in between the jumps in the coat’s knowledge— telling two sides of the same history.  
  
Most of it Trench already knew, but they kept volleying back and forth, and somehow Baby ended up telling a story about an 11-year-old Sam accidentally falling asleep in the trunk— and these important anecdotes the coat surely did not know, because Baby received a surprised sheen from Trench in response to each one. The drive passed so quickly that by the time they pulled up behind a neon-lit building, Baby was just realizing that it had got dark a while ago. She hadn’t even been watching the road.  
  
**_Whereabouts are we now?_** she wondered aloud.  
  
_A brothel. I forgot to tell you— Dean has promised not to let Castiel die a virgin._  
  
**_Oh, the whole last night on earth spiel?_** Baby scoffed a little. **_That worked with the last angel too. Not sure why he’s outsourcing this one to a brothel._**  
  
Trench fondly moved their focus to the two men, and Baby just watched them look. _You jest, but there is something here. I know you can tell too. Though maybe they’re not yet ready, I think they are starting to understand._  
  
With that, Castiel stepped out and Trench was gone.

  
Baby pondered the overly-prophetic answer to her not-even question. **What was there?**

But she began to understand, minutes later, when the pair emerged from the building and Dean was lit up happier than she’d seen in years. Oh, yes, she could tell.  
  
She looked at Cas’ small, proud smile, and the way he turned his head to keep his eyes on Dean’s laugh. These two had started something somewhere along the way— and Baby realized that it wasn’t from nowhere, it grew from the long story she and Trench had been recounting to each other.  
  
Baby hummed as the men swung into the car, Trench with them. Trench shot a rustle her way, and she affirmed.  
  
**_Yea, I totally see it now. And if they’re not blind, they’ll get it too._**  
  
Baby was warm as Dean started her back up, happy for her boy.

#### NOW

###### LEBANON, KS; JUNE 2012

  
Well, the time comes. She knew it would. Dean opens the trunk once again, but this time he bunches Trench up and takes them.  
  
Slam.  
  
She’s left alone.  
  
Now that Trench is gone, —good riddance—Baby’s back to normal. It’s strange, because for all the talking they didn’t do, having Trench there was still something of a comfort. And even though being alone is her normal state, without T she feels much lonelier than she ever did before.

#### THEN

###### FEBRUARY 2010

  
Baby was not happy.  
  
She’d been gearing up to the showdown with whatever this Valentine’s Day monster was, as they all had, and that had been going fine. Dean hadn’t brought anyone into the backseat yet, and that was good. And then Castiel, wearing Trench, had come into the car, and Baby had thought that this would be the moment. A day of love, those heart eyes, the theme of hunger… But Castiel had disappeared and Dean had followed before Baby and Trench could silently goad them further, and Baby had been left alone with a slight hope that maybe later the backseat would be sinfully full...  
  
But no. When the three had piled back into the car, en route to Bobby’s, there was no celebratory air. There were no injuries and there was definitely a victory, but no one seemed pleased, and Dean only once looked at Cas in the rearview mirror. So no, Baby was not happy.  
  
Baby finally broke the lapsed silence after their initial hellos had faded.  
  
**_Well, this is ridiculous. I thought that something would happen today of all days, though._**  
  
Trench did something like a chuckle. _They are quite obtuse, aren’t they? I fear they will never give in to each other._  
  
**_I mean, I know my Dean, and he’s usually straightforward with what he wants. Well, eventually. You heard his speech earlier: ‘when I want something, I go get it.’ And then he stared at Castiel and didn’t do anything._** Trench’s collar hummed as Baby paused. **_Maybe we’re reading too much into it._**  
  
There was a moment of consideration. _Perhaps you’re right. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. It's not like we can do much about it._

#### NOW

###### JUNE 2012

It’s a surprise when Dean deposits Trench back into her trunk the next day. For what reason? Baby doesn't really care, though, because at least Trench is back. This is another chance to talk about what’s hovering over them, the words neither of them want to say to clear the air. Well, Baby doesn't know if she’ll take this opportunity, doesn't know if she had the guts, but either way it's nice to see Trench again.

**_Where ya been?_ ** She starts.

Trench does a small laugh, as if hesitant to share. _Dean's bed?_

Baby splutters. ** _I— what?_ ** She has to laugh too; it's just so absurd.

_Yep. Apparently I'm a safety blanket now._

Baby laughs again, in a way that makes her afraid she'll pop a gasket.

**_Oh, Dean._** She laughs, but sobers when she remembers why he would do something like that.

_He's taking it really hard_ , Trench confirms. _It is almost sweet, in a sad way._

**_I mean, Cas’ gotta be alive, right? For you to be?_ **

_I think so_ , Trench confirms. _But Dean doesn’t know that. He’s in mourning._

**_Yeah._ ** Baby can see it distinctly. She remembers how Trench and she used to joke about it, try to matchmake as best they could. **That’s a safe subject** , she thinks. **We can talk about that. Maybe we can even do something about it.**


	3. Chapter 3

 

#### THEN

###### BLUE EARTH, MN; MARCH 2010

  
Dean rummaged, his arm through her window, and took an aspirin bottle from Baby’s outstretched seat. She followed the trajectory of his throw and—it was hard to see—oh. There was Trench, or Castiel to be more precise, looking worse for the wear.  
  
_He’s drunk_ , Trench whispered over the distance, and Baby laughed.  
  
_Lucky_ , she replied, and Trench rippled their fabric in a responding laugh. Castiel wavered, and Dean helped him into the car on the way to the Whore. He could’ve teleported but, well, Baby for one was glad he was too intoxicated to do so. Even though it hadn’t taken as long as last time, each time the wait to see Trench seemed even worse.  
  
_**Hey there, T**_ , Baby greeted. _**How’s the bender?**_  
  
_Good, good. Lost faith and met a really angry liquor store owner— starting to sound like your boys’ sort of deal_ , Trench teased. At least Baby thought that’s what the tone was. Fabric could be so hard to read, but she was getting better at it.  
  
**_Sounds like they’re not so different, is what you mean, then._**  
  
_I guess if you want to put it that way…_  
  
**_So, any news?_**  
  
_God’s a bust, though I think that could be inferred by the drinking._  
  
**_Oh, I’m sorry..._ ** Baby wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that.  
  
_No need to apologize; that is Castiel’s banner, not mine. We are not the same being, you know._  
  
Baby couldn’t help but chuckle a little, tires bouncing. **_Yea, I know. Though sometimes youse guys do sound awfully similar._**  
  
Trench quirked their collar. _Well, it was Castiel who gave me language when he possessed Jimmy. Perhaps that is why._  
  
**_Damn, looks like we’re already here… give me the updates next time, okay?_**  
  
_Of course, Baby._  
  
Baby glowed even when Dean turned her engine off.

  
  
\---

  
As soon as Dean hurried back out of the hotel room, away from Cas and T, Baby knew it couldn’t be good. He was alone, and she could read him like no other. She knew that he was going somewhere recklessly, but she wasn’t familiar with the destination until he reached the door and— ah, Lisa.  
  
Baby felt for Dean, but she didn’t understand. Though years ago, when they had met, Lisa had seemed like a nice gal, the problem was that there had been many a nice gal in her backseat. She wasn’t sure what made this one so special. Then again, she did trust Dean to know what was right for himself, even if Baby disagreed. It’s not like she could have told him, after all.  
  
Not like she could point his gaze to someone who had been in the backseat hours before…  
  
Who knows. Maybe she was just letting her feelings for Trench bleed into how she thought Dean felt about Ca— Wait, no, her friendship with Trench. Her deep friendship with Trench making her read into the intense gazes their respective owners shared. That was it. Maybe Lisa really was the one, and Baby just couldn’t see it.  
  
Yep, that was all.

####  _THEN_

######  _GRETNA, LA; MAY 2010_

  
_“Dean, wait. You said ‘no’ to Michael. I owe you an apology.”_  
  
_They winced as they remembered the pain Castiel has inflicted upon Dean with his fists._  
  
_Dean’s apology came, though, through the phone speaker. “Cas… I-it's okay.”_  
  
_“You are not the burnt and broken shell of a man that I believed you to be.”_  
  
_“Thank you. I appreciate that.”_

_“You're welcome.”_

#### THEN

###### DETROIT, MI; LAWRENCE, KS; MAY 2010

  
**_It’s been so hush-hush and Bobby and Dean had a conversation but I couldn’t make it out and Sam said he’s gonna say yes… please, can you tell me why there’s so much blood in the backseat?_**  
  
_Hello, Baby._ Trench spoke slowly, and oh, they must be tired.  
  
**_I’m sorry Trench, I was raised better than to say hello like that. How are you? It’s been a while._**  
  
_No, no._ T’s lapels huffed a sigh. _I apologize for my irritability. A lot has gone on, a lot of bad, and I understand your worry for your boys. I’m hesitant because I trust you won’t like any of my stories today._  
  
**_Well, get it over with then. I already know enough to know the picture ain’t pretty._**  
  
_To summarize— the Horsemen’s rings open the Cage, Sam says yes and jumps in, locking the Devil away and himself as well. Adam is Michael’s current vessel, and if Sam fails there will be no way to forestall the apocalypse. On top of everything, Castiel is at low power at this crucial moment. As you can imagine, there’s no substantial hope in this plan, but it’s happening anyway._  
  
Baby felt the jugs of blood wobble in the trunk, their liquid sloshing with her motion, and felt sick.  
  
**_You’re right, I don’t like it. But, well. I trust my boys._**  
  
_As does Castiel, for some reason_ , Trench sighed. _Let’s hope they do not fail._  
  
A pause. _**If you’re not too tired, is there maybe a good story that’s happened in the interim?**_  
  
_Well_ , Trench glinted faintly, _Dean did tell Cas to blow him._  
  
Baby swerved a little, and Dean forcefully held her steering wheel straight.  
  
**_Oh, that’s a good one. Tell me more._**

  
  
\---

  
  
They tried to keep each other’s spirits up, but by the time Baby arrived in Detroit and Cas stepped out with the rest, Baby’s undercarriage was roiling with worry. And when Dean returned without Sam, slack-faced, when he slammed her door, when he called Chuck and then drove her towards Lawrence, she couldn't help but despair. She had no one to talk her through it; all she could do was move as fast as possible, and hope Dean had a plan in his head.  
  
When Cas and Bobby showed up at the cemetery, Baby’s engine had leapt. Maybe there was hope. She and Trench locked sights, and though she was too far away to make out any communication, she could still gather strength from their presence.  
  
And then— no longer.  
  
Castiel exploded, and all Baby could do was watch, her dashboard gauges flipping back and forth in a frenzy.  
  
**They’ve been dead before, Cas and Trench. This is not permanent** , Baby tried to reassure herself. But… what are the chances that God-lightning strikes the same place twice?  
  
She didn’t have long to contemplate before Dean was thrown against her side. She held him up and supported him, and every blow from Lucifer and Sam’s fist rocked her. Her boys were fighting each other at her side, and she knew the outcome of this fight could not be undone.  
  
_**Sam**_ , she screamed silently. In her desperation, she moved the slightest fraction of an inch— enough that the reflection off her roof caught his eye and he really looked at her. Against all odds, she watched as years worth of memories—ones she and Dean and Sam had shared together—pulled Sam from Lucifer’s hold.  
  
And when she watched Sam pull both Lucifer and Michael into that hole, Dean heaving breath against her, the only positive she felt was the luck that she could be here to tell this story.  
  
Trench and Castiel were back and alive and soon as they had been killed, and her boy was healed— she could cry with joy, but with Sam sealed into Hell, she could cry forever.  
  
_Breathe_ , Trench rustled next to her. _This was the longest shot of a plan, and it succeeded. Your boys saved the world._  
  
Baby averted her line of sight, but she had to agree. **_I’m glad you’re back to tell me that, Trench._**  
  
_And I am glad that I’m back to hear your newest story. Also, the fact that I am, well, alive. That’s nice too._  
  
Baby had to smile, just a little, and that there was another victory.

  
  
\---

  
  
She had started quiet and slow, but as she recounted her gears grew stronger.  
  
_**And then I moved on my own! I changed something!**_  
  
Trench shared in her awe, buttons shifting. _That is amazing, Baby. You and your boys, you’re heroes._  
  
_**I don’t know that I would say that of myself**_ , she said, sobering up. _**But Castiel definitely is, hey. And I’m sure you’ve done more than you realize.**_  
  
_Perhaps_ , the coat said quietly. _Most of the time I feel I’m just along for the ride._  
  
After that, bringing Dean and Cas back home, Trench and Baby just listened.  
  
Neither knew what to say, and Baby was happy to remain silent, pressing up her seats to support her remaining boy. Well, her two current boys.  
  
“You got what you asked for, Dean. No paradise. No hell. Just more of the same. I mean it, Dean. What would you rather have? Peace or freedom?”  
  
Peace or freedom? She hoped it could be both.

#### THEN

###### CICERO, IN; AUGUST 2011

  
Dean had parked her in the dark, tarped, for what felt like forever. Baby partially welcomed the silence; the standoff against Lucifer was a lot to process, and she did so as she rested comfortably under her blanket.  
  
It was partially welcomed, but, hell, her quarantine lasted so long! She was an active lady, and sitting still for so long did no one any good. So, when Dean finally pulled back her cover, she breathed a sigh of relief along with the fresh air. She’d wondered what had happened since she'd been out of the game, and now she'd get a chance to have her questions answered.

The answer, it turned out, was Lisa.

 

#### THEN

###### CALUMET, IL; OCTOBER 2011

  
Dean pulled her over, alone in the front seat, and Baby could feel him tight in the shoulders. He answered the ringing phone. Click.

Lisa. Baby reflected on the past few calls, and the ones that had gone to voicemail. The way they were both trying, hard, to keep a handle on their relationship in the face of the supernatural.  
  
“Lis... I'm not gonna lie. Okay, me and Sam, we... we've got issues. No doubt. But you and Ben—”

“Me and Ben can't be in this with you. I'm sorry.”  
  
Dean's sorrow was apparent, and she mourned with him, even as she was silently relieved. Anyone who couldn't have her in their life wasn't right for Dean— she was a very part of him, and to deny that part was nothing sustainable. But still, Dean had found something that he cherished, and once again it was taken away by his life on the road. So she mourned that with him, even as she hoped that he could build something else, something he had been ignoring and denying, something that could live and grow even on the road. Someone who embraced all parts of Dean, and left none tarped.

 

#### NOW

###### JUNE 2012

_**He’s like a widow.**_ Baby throws out the topic, for Trench to pick up.

_I’d assume you’re right._

_**Of course I am, T. Remember that night at the brothel? Who’d’ve thought it’d end up here.** _

_He’s not sleeping well._

Baby’s trying to keep it light-hearted, insubstantial, but Trench keeps derailing that. She blows out warm air. _**I hope we find Castiel soon. It’s no good to see Dean like this.**_

_I hope they can reconcile._

Trench is talking about Dean and Cas, supposedly, but it sounds pointed. Baby doesn’t have much to say to that— she’d like to reconcile too, but she’s not the one at fault here. She’s stubborn, and she needs an apology first.

  
Trench is, predictably, grabbed out of her trunk again.

 

#### THEN

###### NOVEMBER 2011

  
It was a little maddening. Castiel was determined to spend as much time away as possible, it seemed. Baby didn’t know what could have changed while Dean was out of the game, but between Sam being strange and Castiel being more absent than usual, something was definitely different. And her one link to the outside, the one Object whose company she could enjoy, was always out of wheels’ reach. She sighed air out the vents.  
  
This had been the second time: Trench, hanging there just out of range. She nodded, and they waved back, and that was as much of an update as she got.  
  
It had been almost a year of being back and she ached to communicate with someone, but Castiel kept flying away.

  
...

  
  
_“Thanks, Cas. Hadn’t it been for you—”_  
  
_“Crowley was right. It’s not going well for me upstairs.”_  
  
_“If there’s anything we can do…”_  
  
_“There isn’t. I wish circumstances were different. Much of the time I’d rather be here.”_  
  
_“Look, Cas, we know you got a steaming pile on your plate. There’s no need for apologies. We’re your friends.”_  
  
_That statement from Dean made Trench painfully sad. What would happen when they told Baby what had been going on...? Would they still be friends?_

#### THEN

###### MAY 2012

  
Finally, finally, Castiel flew into her backseat.  
  
_Wow._ The coat twisted out. _It’s been a while._  
  
**_Yes, it has. I was tarped so I lost time… How long have I been out of service then?_**  
  
_Too long._  
  
And that was a good enough answer.  
  
**_So T, what’s the news?_**  
  
Baby waited; there was silence for a bit too long.  
  
_**Trench?**_  
  
_Sorry— I am torn. Figuratively, that is._  
  
Baby rolled her headlights. _I' **ll say. What about?**_  
  
_Castiel's betrayal, and if it is my betrayal as well._  
  
Baby all but screeched to a stop; Dean banged his hand lightly against her dash, and she was reminded to start again.  
  
**_Well— what? I— I don't know about Castiel's betrayal, and you’ve gotta tell me, but why would that be your betrayal too? You can't help where he goes._**  
  
_You're right, I can’t._  
  
**_So why the guilt?_**  
  
Trench curled their lapels inward and paused again. Just when Baby was sure they wouldn't speak, they began: _Were you aware that Crowley's outer coat is an Object as well?_

Baby’s engine skipped, the bottom dropping out.  
  
**_Oh, no— No. Trench. Tell me you didn't rub elbows with that twisted sack of cloth… You know what that asshole has put my boys through._**  
  
_It's only rarely that I meet an Object I can properly talk to_ , Trench admitted quietly. _He's the only other one I've met since you._  
  
Baby didn't know what to say. All that time in lock-up and this was what had been happening? She didn't know whether to feel guilty or angry or betrayed or forgiving, or all of them at once.  
  
_It wasn't just pleasantries either, Trench continued for some reason, the confession dam now broken. His name is Ove. We had proper conversations, and, you know what, I've grown to appreciate him. It is not like he chose—_  
  
**_Hey, why don't ya stop digging your own hole_** , Baby growled, and Trench broke off.  
  
_I hope you don't think less of me._  
  
_**I'm thinking a lot of things right now, Trench. I don't know which to decide on.**_  
  
The only sound was Baby's wheels on the asphalt as they rolled closer to some Djinn in Omaha, the traitorous Castiel in the passenger seat. Baby could overheat just thinking about it—  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Trench finally spoke up.  
  
_In any case, I truly am glad to see you again._  
  
**_Me too, T_** , she replied quietly, but Castiel had already disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

 

####  _THEN_

###### MAY 2012

  
_“This is Cas, guys. I mean, when there was no one… and we were stuck—and I mean really stuck—he broke ranks. He has gone to the mat cut and bleeding for us so many freakin' times. This is Cas! Don't we owe him the benefit of the doubt at least?”_  
  
_The faith Dean had in Castiel was misplaced, but still so beautiful to watch._  
  
_And so ugly to watch disappear._  
  
_“When crap like this comes around, we deal with it like we always have. What we don't do is we don't go out and make another deal with the Devil!”_  
  
_Dean is raging, but Trench can feel the pain in Castiel’s shoulders even more clearly than they can see the whirlwind of emotions on Dean’s face._

 _“It sounds so simple when you say it like that. Where were you when I needed to hear it?”_  
  
_Trench can’t help but think of Baby. Was she absent when they needed someone, or did they need someone because she wasn’t there?_  
  
_“I was there. Where were you? You should've come to us for help, Cas.”_  
  
_“Maybe.” A rushing sound, and they see the windows go dark. “It's too late now. I can't turn back now. I can't.”_  
  
_“It's not too late. Damn it, Cas! We can fix this!”_  
  
_“Dean, it's not broken!” Trench really hopes it’s not. The rumbling noise grows. “Run. You have to run now! Run!”_  
  
_So the boys run, and Castiel and Trench wait._

 

#### NOW

###### AUGUST 2012

  
They go on like that for a while. It seems that Dean has fallen into a pattern: bringing Trench on hunts, taking them out to the bunker when he returns. It becomes a comfortable routine, an easy thing to talk about, short periods of time that don't lend themselves easily to big conversations or confessions.

And the thing is— they get along. When Baby forgets her grudge, which is often, they get along just as well as they always did. It would be so easy to let it go, to forget, to move on and not muddy their friendship. Tacitly clear the air.

But Baby is a stubborn lady, always has been, and Trench’s association with Ove still burns a little when the thought comes up. One day, finally, she voices it, out of restlessness more than anything else. She just wants to put this to away, talk it out and let it die.

 _ **What did Ove have that I didn’t?**_ Her tone is purely curiosity, but they both know that’s not all there is to it. It sounds forced, even to her.

Trench sighs. _This again?_

 ** _I’m just asking_**. Faux-offended, high and mighty. She feels exposed, because Trench knows she cares about this topic. **_Just a question_** , she throws out, a parody of Trench’s same question.

N _othing that you don't have. Please understand. I was lonely. I just wanted to talk to someone, I didn’t think it would_ offend _you. And I’m not sorry._

Baby is silent.

_In fact, I think you should apologize for your annoying possessiveness. It’s overblown._

**_Me?! Apologize? You’re the one who’s in the wrong here._ **

_No, I’m not._ Their stubborn personalities bump against each other, rigid, and Baby is fed up.

**_Looks like we’re at an impasse then, Baby spits._ **

_Did you just use a big-girl word? I didn’t think your vocabulary was so expansive._

Now that was a low blow. Baby tenses, creaking. This is not what she wanted, goddammit, she just wanted to lay it to rest, not blow it up. Trench seems to sense they’ve gone a bridge too far, and tries to backpedal.

_Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that._

**_It’s fine_** , she replies tersely. If that’s what they think of her…

 _Can’t we just be friends again?_ Trench sounds weary, on the edge of pleading. _I miss you._

 _ **Fine.**_ Her pride won’t let her admit that she missed Trench too, doesn’t think she needs to say it anyway. This was the outcome she wanted, sort of, but she still feels sour about it.

The silence for the rest of the drive is uneasy.

 

####  _THEN_

######  _JUNE 2012_

  
_“Why are you here?”_  
  
_“I had no idea Crowley would take Lisa and Ben.”_  
  
_“Yeah, right.”_  
  
_“You don't believe me.”_  
  
_“I don't believe a word that's coming out of your mouth.”_  
  
_“I thought you said that we were like family. Well, I think that too. Shouldn't trust run both ways?”_  
  
_“Cas, I just can't…”_  
  
_“Dean, I do everything that you ask. I always come when you call, and I am your friend. Still, despite your lack of faith in me, and now your threats, I just saved you, yet again. Has anyone but your closest kin ever done more for you?”_

 

_\---_

  
_Trench looked at Lisa, healed, and at Dean’s pained face as he made a decision._  
  
_“There’s one more thing you could do for me.”_

#### THEN

###### BOOTBACK, KS; JUNE 2012

  
Being flipped by a demon hoard hadn’t been the highlight of her year, but the T’s confessions a few weeks earlier had been worse. She still wasn't over it. The way Trench had explained Castiel’s plan and motives, so rationally and calmly, contrasted heavily with the scene she now found herself in: crashed outside a dirty warehouse, Sam broken by Cas, Dean and Bobby about to be. All Trench could do was wait, and hope, that this showdown didn’t end as badly as she feared it would.  
  
Finally, finally, the boys stumbled back out, sans Cas, and Baby really didn’t know what to think. They got her back to Sioux Falls, Dean swearing the whole way and not saying much else.  
  
She got caught up, between flashes of consciousness, as Dean worked her back to health. She heard about Sam’s absent wall, and Cas’ new position as “God”, and the whole time all she could think about was how this was all Trench— Castiel’s fault. Through her mess of feelings, the strongest was betrayal, and the second strongest was a desire to see Trench again, anyway.

 

#### NOW

###### SEPTEMBER 2012

  
They’re practically giggling. It’s undignified, but what the hell, Trench makes her laugh. The whole situation is silly.

 _ **What if I change the radio to a love song every time one comes on.**_ She laughs. _**I’ve got a mental playlist. Lots of Taylor Swift.**_

Trench laughs back. _And really sink them into the seats so they feel comfortable, and Dean can’t easily leave. Stick the doors shut!_

They’re on a roll.

**_What about you, get your sleeve stuck in the glove compartment. Make Cas unable to pull away._ **

Trench grins. _I can’t move, Baby, you know that._

 ** _Well, when you figure out how. It’s for a noble cause_** , she sing-songs.

 _I’ll try_. A rare, full grin on Trench’s lapels.

**_That’s all I ever ask._ **

 

\---

 

Dean has been grumbling for the past few miles as he drove home. Apparently the Leviathans have doubled as Sam and Dean, Impala and all, and gone on a killing spree; the brothers have been advised to tarp her until the news coverage stops. Dean knows it’s the best thing to do—Baby even sees the sense in it, though it disappoints her—but he won’t stop complaining under his breath about it. Sam has long since grown annoyed, and is riding quietly in the passenger seat, reading and blocking Dean out.

She gets Dean, though. She doesn’t want to be retired for however long (how long does it take to forget a serial killing pair? Probably a while), and she has a sinking feeling that it will mean Trench leaving. Dean had been carrying them on hunts, and then into the bunker: with him at all times. If he leaves Baby somewhere not with him, well… he’ll probably take Trench.

 _ **I guess this is goodbye, for now.** _ She’s not happy about it, but then neither is Trench. They’ve only just become friendly again, and it pains her for it to be cut short so soon.

But it’s inevitable, and how their life goes. They’ll both deal.

Trench doesn’t say anything in response; there’s nothing to say that they don’t both already know. Well, that’s a lie— there’s many things to say. But Baby pushes that down. Now isn’t the time. They just got back to friendship; she shouldn’t rush it, shouldn’t scare them off.

But they’re both sad at the impending separation, and at least on that front they agree. There's nothing more to voice that isn’t depressing.

 _ **Well, keep on brainstorming how we can force these two knuckleheads together, okay?**   **I’ll be waiting on your notes.**_ She puts on a cheeky tone to lighten the mood.

 _Certainly._ Trench smiles at their long-running inside joke. _I’ll think on it hard._

They sink back into silence as Dean parks and opens her trunk.

_And, Baby? I’ll miss you, okay?_

Baby knows they’re trying to forestall her from blowing up again, to placate her, but she’s still happy for the comfort.

 _ **Just don’t go replacing me, hey?**_   She smiles, and Dean takes Trench out to get to the arsenal underneath. To bring back inside the bunker, away from her.

 

######  _LILY DALE, NY; OCTOBER 2012_

_It has been interesting for Trench to take on Baby’s life for these past few months. They can never fully be her, of course, she being a car and them a coat, but being dragged around on the Winchester’s errands is a glimpse into her daily schedule, something they got only a taste of with Castiel. He was often at their beck and call, but was never as physically tied to them as Baby—and now Trench—is._  
  
_Now, taking it on alone, riding with the boys in some random junker car across the country, they have a lot of time to reflect. They miss Baby, of course. They always do. As much as they have resolved their disagreement, Trench still wonders how it ever became such a big deal. No one can replace Baby, isn't that plain? She’s the only thing that makes sense in this crazy world._

 

######  _COLORADO; MARCH 2013_

  
_“We didn't part friends, Dean.”_  
  
_“So what?”_  
  
_“I deserved to die. Now, I can't possibly fix it... So why did I even walk out of that river?”_  
  
_“Maybe to fix it. Look.”_  
  
_He digs them out of the trunk, and Trench is finally back in the light of the sun._  
  
_“Dumb to keep. I know. I saw you… dissolve or whatever. But just in case. ‘Cause I never stopped wanting to fix it either. So we got something in common.”_  
  
_He holds Trench out, and they itch for Castiel to reach out and receive them._  
  
_“Just— take it. Please.”_  
  
_And he does._

 

###### MAY 14, 2013

  
She recognizes Dean and Cas’ voices even under that golforsaken tarp. Humming, she tries to scope out if Trench is there, since she can’t see. She’s sore, and she wants see the sun again.  
  
_Don’t strain yourself, I can hear you loud and clear_ , Trench rustles distinctly.  
  
Baby is all but giddy with excitement. **_They’re bringing me back out, right? To whatever showdown’s about to happen?_**  
  
_Yes. We'll be happy to have you back._  
  
**_I’ll be happy to be back!_** Baby rumbles. **_But more importantly— tell me everything._**  
  
_Of course, Baby—_ Dean’s voice cuts in, and Trench continues, _But first, I think this conversation is worth listening in on._

  
  
...

  
  
“Bottom of the ninth, and you're the only guy left on the bench... Sorry, but I'd rather have you, cursed or not.”  
  
Baby glows.  
  
“And anyway, nut up, all right? We're all cursed. I seem like good luck to you?”  
  
“I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I detect a note of forgiveness.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I'm probably gonna die tomorrow, so…”  
  
Baby shook her windshield fondly. What was with her boy and eleventh-hour declarations?  
  
“Well, I'll go with you. And I'll do my best.”

  
  
...

  
  
The breath of fresh air as she’s untarped is nothing to the feeling of seeing Trench standing there, and two of her boys reconciling. Maybe it’s the echo of those words in the air, or maybe it’s just the surge of feeling she gets when she sees Trench again, but Baby’s more than ready to give them a real apology, and explain everything. She’s been thinking it over, constantly, and she wants to clear the air, get rid of the thorn still in her side. Apologize. It’s been too long, damnit, and it’s stupid. She doesn’t even feel hurt anymore, she just wants to talk to Trench and has some important things to tell them. Like how she feels, maybe, or at least how she's missed them. She—

—doesn’t get a chance to say anything, as she’s teleported in an instant.

 

###### SEATTLE, WA; MAY 15, 2013

  
**That wasn’t very pleasant.** She’s grousing to herself as she speeds down the road. **Trench has to deal with that all the time? I can see why Dean prefers traveling with me.**

It’s not that she’s not exhilarated to be racing towards the action, or that she begrudges being helpful in times of crisis, but… it had been a perfect time to speak up, and she hadn’t said anything.

 **Couldn’t** , she reminds herself.

But still, she’s more mad at herself than at Cas; now that she’s ready to forgive openly, to talk it out, all those missed opportunities haunt her, and it’s only herself to blame.

Meg’s behind the wheel, treating her more gently than she’d expected, but it still puts an itch under her skin. She guns it, the sooner to win this battle, the sooner to see the boys and Trench again.

 **After this** , she promises herself. The next time I see Trench, **I’ll figure out how to tell them, I swear.**

Meg angles her towards the Sucrocorp building, not hitting the brake as expected, but shifting up a gear. Baby gives it all she’s got, and breaks their sign quite impressively, if she does say so herself. But when the smoke clears, it’s just Sam who comes to get her; no Dean at his heels, no Cas. Baby feels like someone fed her the wrong gas, her tank roiling, and it has nothing to do with her current scrapes. This isn't how it’s supposed to happen.

Once again, Trench is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

 

###### KERMIT, TX; AUGUST 2013

  
With Sam at the wheel, Baby hits a dog.

 

###### WHITEFISH, MT; OCTOBER 2014

  
It’s the happiest she’s felt in a long time, and it's a long time coming. Well, she knows time moves differently for her, that the time she’s tarped or turned off or parked for weeks warps her perception, shortens the days. But she knows more time has passed than she’s been conscious for, knows it’s been a long time from the creak in her axles. Sam doesn’t service her nearly as often as Dean does, either, and she can feel it.

So, yeah, seeing Dean again is the happiest she’s been in a while. She feels a thrill when she sees him walking toward her, when he opens her door and finally sits on her seats again. Revs the engine. She revels in the way he touches her dashboard, the overflowing love of the gesture. Happy with the knowledge that he’s safe, finally, in her embrace; she can put her year-long worry to rest. Or at least, she would be able to if Cas had appeared along with him. As it is, she keeps a little part of that worry, one that won’t be oiled until she sees Trench again, safe as well.

 

###### DECEMBER 3, 2014; SALINA, KS

  
Baby isn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn she just saw Trench, walking with Cas by the road. Apparently Dean gets the same vision, because he backs her up, but once they’re stopped, there’s no sign of either Trench or Castiel.

Weird.

Dean and she return to the hotel room.

 

\---

 

They investigate a preschool, they return. Baby can’t get the image of Trench walking the road out of her mind, but that isn’t really much of a change from her normal thoughts. She must’ve imagined it. Maybe Dean saw something else to make him back up.

When Cas walks out of the motel room, Trench shining and clean, she hiccups in surprise, tries to catch her breath.

They slide in the backseat with Cas.

Baby hiccups again.

A second of surprise and then Trench just laughs. Baby can’t help but join, a deep rumble that resets her diaphragm.

 _ **Hi**_ , she manages, once their laughs have died down.

_Hello, Baby._

 

\---

 

Baby knows that Dean dug his way out of Purgatory somehow, and that Benny had to do with it. She’s gathered that Cas was there too, maybe. At this point in her life, that's enough detail to satisfy her and keep her moving forward, so when she asks Trench how they got out, it’s purely curiosity. That’s why their answer catches her off guard.  
  
_I don’t know._  
  
**_What?_**  
  
_I know Dean got out through a portal, but as for how Castiel got out… I don’t know._  
  
**_How— how is that even possible? That you don’t remember?_**  
  
_Wear and tear, maybe. Have you seen me lately? Figuratively, that is. I know you haven’t seen me in 19 months._  
  
Baby chuckles a bit.  
  
**_Too long. Well, even if you don’t have answers as to how, welcome back._**  
  
They stop, and, surprisingly, Dean has quite the same question.

 

\---

 

_“What?” Cas asks preemptively, as they exit Baby._

_Dean’s flustered. “Exactly. What? What the hell happened? Back there. Purgatory. I told you I would get you out. We were there! It was like you just gave up. It's like you didn't believe we could do it. I mean, you kept saying that you didn't think it would work. Did you not trust me?”_

_“Dean…” Trench wishes they too could know what’s going on in Cas’ mind, what happened in Purgatory._

_“I did everything I could to get you out– everything! I did not leave you.”_

_“So you think this was your fault?”_

_They’re interrupted by Sam leaving Baby, but Trench knows this isn’t over._

 

\---

 

Baby waits, as she does. The boys come back out, plus Kevin, and Baby is happy to see the happy ending to this. There’s bad mojo in this place, and they may have won the battle, but she still wants to leave as soon as Dean gets in the car.

He has his own ideas, though; Baby eavesdrops on his and Cas’ trunk-side conversation.  
  
“Hey, everything isn't your responsibility. Getting me out of Purgatory wasn't your responsibility.?

“You didn't get out. So whose fault was it?” Dean is manhandling her trunk much more than necessary.

“It's not about fault. It's about will. Dean, do you really not remember?”

“I lived it, Cas. Okay, I know what happened.”

“No. No, you think you know. You remembered it the way you needed to.”

“Look, I don't need to feel like hell for failing you, okay? For failing you like I've failed every other godforsaken thing that I care about! I don't need it!”  
  
Cas puts his fingers to Dean’s forehead.

“Nothing you could have done would have saved me, because I didn't want to be saved.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”  
  
"It's where I belonged. I needed to do penance. After the things I did on Earth and in Heaven, I didn't deserve to be out. And I saw that clearly when I was there. I... I planned to stay all along. I just didn't know how to tell you.”

Baby can see Dean’s confusion, hurt, love, all jumbled together in his posture. Oh honey.

“You can't save everyone, my friend, though you try."

 

###### OKLAHOMA CITY, OK; DECEMBER 2014

  
Now that Cas is back, it seems, for the foreseeable future, Baby’s confronted with her earlier promise. She said she would tell Trench as soon as she saw them, but, well, it’s harder in practice. What if she says something and Trench doesn’t reciprocate and they’re stuck together for months? Baby cringes. She doesn't think she could stand it. It’s one thing to confess when their lives are crazy and constantly dragging them apart, but right now she's loath to jeopardize this safe, seemingly indefinite period of peaceful living with Trench.

Call her cowardly, but now that the high emotions have settled, she’d rather just enjoy Trench’s company for what it’s worth.

They stop at a gas station and apparently Cas is going to become a hunter— she laughs, and Trench smiles back. If he really does— If the three of the boys really can stay together— She can’t imagine it lasting, but she’s giddy with the possibility that it could. What if life could be that perfect?

It lasts a glorious four days, until Cas inexplicably goes into an assisted living building, and then doesn’t come back out.

 

###### WHITEFISH, MT; JANUARY 2015

  
Unexpectedly, after that small hiccup, Cas is back. Something feels off, but if Trench doesn’t mention anything then Baby trusts that nothing is going on. Sort of.

But with Sam MIA, Cas gets to sit in the front seat. Both Baby and Trench appreciate that.

“Wow, will you look at that? Our ninth abandoned factory. Ain't that America? Hey, what do you say, this doesn't pan out, we head back to that beer-and-bacon happy hour about a mile back, huh?”

They exchange a look. Hey, maybe the silly plan they cooked up what feels like years ago—love songs, stuck doors—is actually working. Baby switches the station to next Taylor Swift song she knows is playing, but the two are distracted.

“Wait a minute, Dean. Those derelicts, they're demons. I can see their true faces.”

Somehow their next stop is a houseboat moorage, and when Dean and Cas emerge with Sam in tow, Baby doesn’t even question why. If this is the path to Samandriel, so be it. Baby makes room in the backseat for Cas and Trench.

 

\---

 

The boys have run in, guns blazing, and Cas alone comes out, with Samandriel. Baby’s not too worried, though— they found and saved him! It feels good to call in another win.

She looks at Trench happily, but doesn’t receive any return look. Puzzled, she calls, **_Trench?_**

_I—_

Something happens, and suddenly Cas is stabbing Alfie.

“Cas! What the hell happened?”

Baby wonders the same thing as she sees Cas wipe blood from his eye. **_Trench?_** she asks more urgently. **_What the hell is going on here?_**

But Trench just stares dazedly as, Samandriel in arm, Castiel flies away.

 

###### LINCOLN SPRINGS, MI; APRIL 2015

 

Baby’s had a lot to think about in the months that Cas’ been gone. Now, though, with the mad dash Dean, Sam, Meg, and Cas are making, doesn’t seem like the time to bring it up. There isn’t time, really, but she has to at least ask this.

 ** _What’s going on with you?_**   she all but yells over the sound of her own engine.

_Something is very wrong with Castiel. The erratic path we’ve been following— I don’t know. It’s beyond my reach. I can’t hear angel radio—_

They roll up at an empty warehouse. _**Well, I hope we can figure this out. Godspeed, T.**_

_I don't know if that will help._

 

\---

 

_"Cas. Cas, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but if you're in there and you can hear me, you don't have to do this. Cas, fight this! This is not you! Fight it!”_

_A flash of scenery Trench almost catches— then back to the dusty warehouse._

_“What have you done to me, Naomi?!” Cas screams._

_“Who’s Naomi?” Trench wonders the same, but doesn’t have much time to reflect on it because Cas backhands Dean across the room._

_The stone drops, and breaks; the tablet is revealed, a beacon._

_Trench cringes as Cas breaks Dean’s arm. No! They stare at the tablet on the ground, at the broken pieces around it._

_“You want it?” Dean yells. Cas seems to follow Trench’s gaze. “Take it! But you're gonna have to kill me first. Come on, you coward. Do it. Do it!”_

_And, Naomi in his ear, he does. Dean is on his knees, bloody, at Cas’ mercy._

No! _Trench tries to communicate, but it’s no use. What can they do?_

_“I know you're in there.” Cas raises his blade and Trench strains, and, miraculously, pulls at Cas’ sleeve. Rustles their collar at Cas’ ears. Squeezes around his chest. “I know you can hear me. Cas…”_

_Trench is getting desperate; they’ve done something, but what if it’s not enough to stop the angel?_

_“It's me. We're family. We need you. I need you.”_

_A quick flash of Heaven, and Trench’s belt sinks. “You have to choose, Castiel—us or them.”_

_Trench does all they can— in a last-ditch effort, they squeeze the fabric that Dean is clutching, emphasizing the feel of his hand on Cas’ arm, trying to get through to him._

_And in an instant—_

_“Cas?”_

_“I’m so sorry, Dean.”_

 

_…_

  
  
_“So, this ‘Naomi’ has been controlling you since she got you out of Purgatory?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Well, w-what broke the connection?”_  
  
_Trench swells with pride._

 _“I don't know.”_  
  
Love, you idiots! _they want to shout—a big word to shout from the rooftops—but instead they content themself with giving Cas a long and thorough hug._

_Then he takes the tablet and runs._

 

###### ROUTE 34, CO; MAY 2015

  
Baby’s never too worried about when Cas disappears— he always comes back, with Trench. If one of them’s okay, the other has to be as well. That’s just a law of the universe, in Baby’s mind. Every time she’s thought Trench will never return, they end up proving her wrong. By now she’s gotten over the anxiety every time Trench leaves, for she trusts Cas to bring them back; she can rest easy.

But when Cas appears in the middle of the road, she still worries, of course. Cas had flown the coop, and now he’s back and, well, he looks like he’ll pull through, but something has obviously happened regarding the tablet.

Baby can feel the anger in Dean’s shoulders that is currently being overridden by a helping instinct. He’s not saying so right now, but the second Castiel appeared, bloody in the road, Baby could tell that he was mad. He’s doing a good job of being stoic and silent as he drives towards the bunker, Cas in the backseat, but Baby knows that, sooner or later, Cas will get an earful.  
  
**_Hey, T._**  
  
_G_ _reetings and salutations_ , Trench responds, a forced light tone.  
  
**_Why’s Dean so mad?_**  
  
The coat does something close to a sigh. _Cas went and stole the angel tablet to keep it safe but— well, Dean didn’t like that._  
  
**_And all the injuries?_**  
  
_The angels. More or less. It’s kind of a long story._  
  
**_I’ve got time._**  
  
_You recall that I didn’t know how we got out of Purgatory? It all starts there._  
  
And so Trench begins another long story, sewing up loose ends: the angels’ rescue operation, the reports back to Naomi, killing Samandriel, the torture. The programming to end Dean, a plan that didn’t work out quite the way Heaven wanted it to.  
  
_And then— Do you remember how you sparked Sam’s memories in that cemetery, years ago? Well, Castiel was beating Dean and I couldn’t stand it; I could see Cas resisting in Heaven but it wasn’t enough— so I ran with that idea. And it worked! It sparked memories deeper down than any programming, and it worked._  
  
Trench gazes towards Dean fondly.  
  
_These two really love each other, you know. We were right all along._  
  
Baby’s gears freeze a bit at that word. For all they’ve talked about Dean and Cas, they’ve never introduced that word, even in joking. It feels heavy in the air between them, but Baby ignores it. Instead:  
  
**_I’m proud of you, T. You can’t complain you’re useless anymore, hey? You’re important to this story._**  
  
**Important to me—** but that is something else she can’t say aloud yet. Goddammit.  
  
_Thanks, Baby_ , Trench says in the softest rustle.  
  
Maybe Baby doesn’t need to say it out loud. Maybe she’s been understood all the same.

 

###### SIOUX FALLS, SD; MAY 21, 2015

 

Having Crowley in her backseat wouldn't be fun in any circumstance, but his overcoat being along for the ride sours the experience further. Ove can probably feel the hostility in her metal, because instead of shutting up, he keeps throwing out one-liners and smart-aleck comments just as she's relaxed from the last one. (She could swear Ove really is Crowley’s personality in coat form, if not for the heavy Scottish accent he somehow sports.) Baby is fuming, and the best direction to point it is towards this slimy coat.

 _ **Just shut up!**_ It's shriller than she'd like to admit, but she really can't stand another ‘in your backseat’ innuendo. _**Why are you so annoying?**_

The coat seems pleased with himself, readjusting against her leather seats. Practice, love. It's a joy to watch you squirm.

Baby just stews for a second, but tries not to let it show. If she has Ove captive, she might as well get some answers. It’s been a long time, but his association with Trench still prickles a little.

_**A** **re you like this all the time? How do you ever make friends?** _

Don't need any, he sniffs, the haughtiness in his voice contrasting sillily with his accent.

 _ **Not even Trench?**_ The hard edge in her voice wasn't supposed to be there, she swears. She can't help it.

The coat laughs in a thick rustling. Oh, I shoulda known you'd hear about that. We had a good time.

If Baby had hackles, they'd be sky-high. _**How dare you.**_

Ove laughs again, his voice light. Your wee coat can choose their own friends, don't you think? Maybe we should all start a book club.

Baby is silent, unsure how to ask this question that's haunting her, when Ove interjects.

Ohhh. Oh, love. Did you think we had a tryst? A roll in the sheets— got tangled up in the washing machine? Is this why your gears are in such a twist?

Baby says _**No**_ a bit too quickly, too forcefully.

Ove laughs, and it ramps up Baby’s anger, but his next words don’t. Think what you will, he says, but nothing untoward happened. Swear it. They’re good for a laugh, but that’s as far as it goes.

Her anger deflates. Baby isn’t stunned— she expected as much. Trench had told her as much. Instead, she just feels sick for all the time wasted, all the jealous muck that had stewed inside her for so long. Though in a twisted way the news of Ove had helped her realize her friendship with Trench was maybe not just friendship, no way in hell will she voice that. Instead she stays silent.

We did talk a lot. And they talked about you ad nauseum. Knew better than to touch that with a ten foot pole.

Baby stirs. _**They did?**_

Yes, you numpty. Thought you were together from how they talked, but to hear you tell it now seems like there’s some things that still need clearing up.

Baby can’t help but acknowledge that with a noise. Too true, and the fact that it’s Ove who is telling her means it must be really desperate. Still, it’s pretty decent of him to say anything at all, to put her suspicions to rest instead of playing her. Doesn’t mean she has to like him now, but still.

_**Thanks for telling me the truth, hey. I guess I misjudged you.** _

He says something lewd in response, and, well, maybe she didn’t misjudge. But she’s still happy that she can finally quiet that niggling voice in the back of her head; she knows now that Trench feels something too—they must—and it gives her a strange courage. She’s waffled for too long, and it’s the easy way out.

Crowley’s dragged inside, and Baby is left to her own devices, mulling over what she’s going to say and how. It’s not too long before Dean comes and joins her. He’s fiddling in her trunk, trying to still his nervous energy, but mostly just agitating her. She has enough nervousness as it is, Dean, thanks.

 

…

 

_Castiel rustles in, behind Dean. “Dean, I need your help.”_

_Dean jumps, startled, but pushes it down, his voice gruff when he says, “Little busy, Cas. Take a number.”_

_“I'm afraid this can't wait. Naomi has taken Metatron… We're gonna shut it all down— Heaven, Hell, all of it.”_

_Trench can tell that that gets Dean’s attention._

 

…

 

Baby is barely listening, though. She’s smiling softly in Trench’s direction instead.

_**Hey.** _

_Hello_.

She wanted to see Trench, and she still does, but the opportunity presents itself so soon that she doesn’t know if she has the guts. She tries to push through, though— she’s wasted so much time as it is.

_**I have something to tell you.** _

Trench looks amused, maybe a little caught off-guard, but their fabric is relaxed and genuine. _Then tell me._

 _ **This is stupid.**_ Baby tries valiantly not to lose her nerve. _**You know what I’m about to say is probably stupid, right?**_

Trench doesn’t laugh, exactly, but their buttons glint. _I’d only know that if I knew what you were about to say._

Baby chuckles a little, darts her gaze around, then back to Trench. **Just get it over with. This is Trench, for cripes’ sake. They won’t make fun.**

 

…

 

_“I got this. And if you guys can lock the angels up, too… That's a good day.” When’d Sam get out here?_

_“Look, I…” Dean hesitates. “I'm down with sending the angels back to Heaven, just 'cause they're dicks. But the demons? This is on us. Start the injections now. If I'm not back in eight hours, finish it, no questions, no hesitation.”_

 

…

 

_**I love you, you idiot.** _

Trench stills. The smile doesn’t leave them, but becomes confused. _You—_

 _ **Stupid, I told you.**_ Baby tries to still her overactive engine, do damage control depending on how Trench reacts.

_Not stupid, Baby. The truth is—_

But Baby won’t know what the truth is, because at that moment Dean, Cas, and Trench disappear.

Damnit!

 

###### RANDOLF, NY; MAY 22, 2015

 

Of course Crowley and Ove are still in her trunk. Of course Sam is in the hospital, of course Dean is out of his mind. How else could the day get better?

Dean getting into a fight with an angel, being saved by an angel… That’s how the day progresses. The angel promises to help, which Baby guesses is better. Still, the fact that it’s not Cas there, that Dean sent out a general prayer, puts her on edge. Something’s wrong. They had watched the angels fall— what a sight. But at least Cas had been on Earth, right? Would the fall have affected him?

Still, if angels are looking for Cas, that means he’s alive and safe from them, and that’s good. She’s content in the fact that Trench will be back eventually. That's how it goes. It’s just a waiting game; they always come back to her.

 

###### DETROIT, MI; MAY 29, 2015

  
The way Dean drives her to Cas is a wild thing. She's not surprised at this point; this is the way they are about each other, and it warms her engine. That's not the only reason she's happy, though. She's so close to seeing Trench again, and that always puts her in a good mood. It gives her extra energy to gun it, and soon she's screeching to a halt in front of an apartment building, and Dean and Sam leap out, slamming her doors to run into the building. She waits, humming.

Dean left her engine on, and she's ready to leave as soon as they come back out. She's ready to see Trench and rejoice over their reconciliation. Of course she’s generally anxious to hear their response to her confession, but she knows that either way they’ll still be friends. They have to be. She'll probably say some things that are much too schmaltzy, but that's okay; if it means Trench is with her, she doesn't care how sappy she gets. She smiles privately at how she knows Trench will be, timid at the beginning as always, then warming up quickly and sarcastically, the dry ruffling of their cloth making her laugh.

She sees Sam exit first, then Dean, supporting Cas. She can't see him distinctly from this angle, but the way he walks is evidence of a struggle. She’s not too concerned, though; they obviously made it out, and Trench will fill in the details.

But. But when Cas sits down in the back, something's wrong. She holds out hope when Dean goes around her, but he only puts weapons back in her trunk before he shuts it.

 _ **Trench?**_   she calls, even though she knows it's futile.

She's met with a mocking silence.

There's no way to deny it: Trench isn’t with them. Trench is gone.

She wracks her internal mechanisms for some plausible explanation, but there is none. Wherever Trench is now, they won't be coming back. And with Cas having abandoned them, Trench will no doubt cease to be an Object and go back to just a scrap of cloth at the bottom of some bin, If they’re still intact at all.

Dean is happy, grudgingly pushing aside his hurts and confusion, he's happy; she can tell by the easy way he treats the clutch, the relaxed posture in her seat. But Baby is no such thing. She doesn’t know when she ever will be again.  
  
When she watches Dean help Cas out of the car, she feels nothing. When she watches Cas leave the bunker, so soon, sorrow on his face, she feels nothing. She just watches him go, sees the evidence of his humanity in the way he holds himself. She feels nothing at that, either— only mourns the fact that he can’t create matter anymore, that he can’t fly, that he doesn’t have the power to bring Trench back to her. She just mourns.


	6. Chapter 6

 

###### REXFORD, ID; JULY 2015

 

Dean leans on her, waiting outside a gas station. It's one of many, but she immediately sees who his gaze lands on through the window. The angel. Or, who used to be the angel. Now just Cas.

The bright blue vest he's wearing is a shock, and a bad reminder. She winces and looks away, studies the gas pumps.

It's been a long month, a stretch of time that feels like years, but the years haven't dulled anything. Everything is hazy, grey, except for the sharp red pain that lives inside her.

When Dean goes in, she doesn't watch him go.

He returns to her, Cas following, and she does watch the way they are around each other, their silent communication. Feelings of betrayal—seemingly a constant—but also love. The more important constant. That, at least, is a comfort.  
  
They drive, and she falls into the rhythm of a hunt. Goes through the motions. The two work easily around each other, she can’t help but note. She’s happy about that, in a detached way. That’s about as happy as she can be nowadays.

After they drop Cas off on his date, (what? what did she miss when she zoned out?) Baby waits for Dean outside a thrift shop. She feels him slide onto her driver’s side and put a bag in the back. Just as she’s about to ready herself to start up, she registers what’s in the plastic bag and her breath catches.  
  
It’s tan, and large, and from what she can tell it’s a trench coat. Just a coat, but it hits her like a shot. The reminder that Trench is dead is something she can almost taste, and she starts her engine haltingly, hood in the clouds as Dean drives her to their next stop.

  
  
\---

  
  
It's night and, after Dean raced from her to deal with the commotion inside, it's quiet. They've both made their way back to her, and are sitting, silently, in the front.

Dean takes the bunch of cloth from the back and turns towards Cas in the passenger seat. Baby just watches the interaction, numb. This connection is what she and Trench had seen and wanted, joked about, and something they had built their own connection on, and now Trench isn’t here to see it. The fact that Trench is gone sours her emotions, but she watches anyway.  
  
“Here, got you something. Um, I just thought, since you mentioned not having any other clothes.”  
  
Baby watches as Cas places his hand over Dean’s where it’s holding the trench coat. Then he takes it with both hands, and softly places it on his lap.  
  
Something changes.  
  
“It’s probably too hot outside to wear it, now that you’re human, but…” Dean trails off.  
  
Baby isn’t sure what it is, but there’s a faint buzzing, her focus goes blurry and then—  
  
“Thank you, Dean.”

Cas, suddenly, is leaning over the gearshift, an intense look in his eyes—  
  
_**Trench? Is that you?**_ Baby is trying so hard not to get her hopes up, but her engine beats quickly just the same.  
  
Dean closes the gap—  
  
_Baby?_ The coat stirs weakly. _Cas left before I could finish my sentence._

 _ **What?**_ Baby’s confused, jolted. **What the hell are they talking about at a time like this?**

_I love you too. Idiot._

Baby laughs, a watery thing. She could just about kiss them, so, as Dean and Cas’ lips finally meet, she does.

  
  
\---

 

Somehow, distractedly, dangerously, she and Dean drive to a hotel parking lot. After Dean parks, there’s a moment of awkward hesitation. After all this time, they still hesitate? Baby rolls her headlights, and Trench laughs.

With effort, (as she’d rather focus her attention elsewhere right now), Baby indents her front seat. Dean and Castiel are caught off balance and slide down towards the middle— their hands touch, their eyes meet, and everything is back to working as it should.

The boys leave in a rush, a fumble of clothing, and finally, finally, Baby and Trench are alone.

She and Trench look at each other. There’s so many things to say, but now that they’ve said what’s important, everything else feels ancillary. There will be time. There will always be time. If Baby’s learned anything since she’s met Trench, it’s that Cas and Trench will always return to her. Even through death, apparently; death cannot stop true love, as Dean is fond of quoting. She has to say it's proved very true.

As it is, Baby’d rather save the talking for later. She’d rather enjoy the time they have tonight, and apparently Trench wholeheartedly agrees.

 

\---

 

It’s a beautiful morning. Baby rolls down the road without a care, windows down, Trench in her passenger seat. Nothing could get better than this.

Well, the looks Dean and Cas keep sharing certainly sweetens the pot. It’s funny that after everything they’ve been through, everything Baby and Trench have tried, they only succeeded in their matchmaking once Dean and Cas’ love became secondary to their own. **The universe is weird that way** , Baby thinks, **but it’s also kind.**

Baby watches how the sun glints off Trench, the relaxed folds of their fabric as they zone out. She’s in love, goddammit, and even with all the plots and betrayals, the cosmic consequences and sacrifices that led them to each other, she really couldn’t ask for anything more. Even better and more miraculously, Trench loves her back.

**Yeah, very kind.**

As if they can hear her thinking, Trench looks up, catches her looking, and narrows their gaze fondly. _Love you, Baby_ , they whisper, a reminder, and Baby can’t help but laugh it back.

No matter what happens between Dean and Cas; no matter how often, or not, Trench is in the backseat or how many other Objects they talk to; no matter where this path leads; Baby is happy because she knows that this is real. She knows that Trench will always find their way back to her.


End file.
